


Tough year

by eliasmontesn



Series: Writing Challenge -September 2020 [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), OT3, POV Severus Snape, POV Third Person, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:21:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26394820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliasmontesn/pseuds/eliasmontesn
Summary: It's the end of 1976, a year where Severus almost died, got a new crush, his crushes started dating each other and he's just about done. But James Potter hasn't stopped surprising him yet.Part of the writing challenge me and my friends are doing.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter/Severus Snape, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin - Background
Series: Writing Challenge -September 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1918321
Comments: 4
Kudos: 85





	Tough year

Snape is starring again. He knows he shouldn’t be. James and Lily have been dating for 3 months now, and the guy thinks sending her a huge bouquet of white lilies doesn't break the discretion agreement he has with her. She’s pretending to be mad, but Severus can see the smile she’s hiding behind the flowers.

He’s not jealous, not really. Wistful is a closer guess. He’s not mad enough to actually believe he ever had a chance with Potter, but he had been close to Lily once upon a time, before green ties and proud lions. He held onto that closeness for as long as he could, but it ended last school year, with ill intended pranks and the nefarious heir of the house of Black.

He hasn't talked to anyone with a red uniform since then. Lupin looks ready to cry anytime they so much as have a class together, and Black seems to have no shame of what he did. What really gets him though is that since he almost died on the Whomping Willow in fifth year he can’t look at James without seeing the boy who held his hand and helped him get out of that hell. Before then, Potter was the annoying guy who kept making moves to his oldest friend, now he’s officially the man who saved Severus' life.

Well, no use pining now.

Severus is on his way to his arithmancy class when he feels a tap on his shoulder. He honestly expected just about anything over Peter Pettigrew coming over to chat with him. Pettigrew was a weird fellow. He was a quiet, background type who hung around the loudest people Hogwarts had ever housed.

“Hello, can I help you with something?” Please say no, please say no please…

“Yes, actually.” Why couldn’t Severus ever get what he wanted? “Look I know I’m probably not someone whose word you’re going to trust, but James and Remus are really sorry about what happened in May, and so am I!”

“Oh.” So that is what this is about. Excommunicating their guilt. “Well, it’s funny the only name you didn’t mention is the one who’s actually to blame for the whole ordeal.”

Pettigrew looks like he shrunk four sizes right now. How the scared cat manages to be friends with a werewolf is anyone's guess.

“Look I’m not really the guy that can explain Sirius to anyone, but” He’s pausing like he’s trying to gather courage to do something now. “James wanted to invite you!”

“I feel like you skipped a few words there Pettigrew.” He’s flinching again, Salazar he doesn’t think he’s that threatening.

“There’s a party happening tonight. In the room of requirement?” Severus nods to see where the rat is going with this. “It’s a new year's party, mostly half-bloods and muggleborns are attending. But we’re all going and James wanted you to go so he can talk to you.”

“And Potter couldn’t ask me himself because?”

“After what happened he didn’t want you to think this was another prank.” Severus is genuinely impressed at Potter’s thought process now. He’s not sure what he would have thought if _he_ was the one that seeked Snape out.“Apparently I’m harmless enough to make you believe we’re not up to something.”

Aren’t they up to something? Severus could easily see why a Muggle inclined party had not reached Slytherin ears, and he could probably ask any muggleborn in Ravenclaw for confirmation of the party. The four Griffindors were ingenious, but not to the point of throwing a whole fake party just to mess with him.

“I’ll think about going.” And he turns away before registering Pettigrew’s face.

***

The party is true. He got confirmation from five different sources, and most of those even told him the marauders had nothing to do with the organisation of the event.

He’s in the corridor of the room of requirement and he doesn’t know what to do. On the other side of this wall sits an explanation. A reason as to why James Potter took him out of that damned tree even when it could cost the worst secret of one of his best friends.

If he could only get his legs to move.

He’s not an idiot, he knows saint Potter probably just didn't want any blood in his hands. But as long as he doesn't walk into that room he can keep delusioning himself for as long as he wants.

The decision is made for him when the door suddenly appears, and out strides the one who was taking up his thought. James looks worried, crestfallen, kind of lost. The music swarms out of the room for a second, a dance sort of beat he knows Lily loves.

James sees him before he can process what him being out here means. He’s face does something odd, as if he wants to be smiling but he’s not sure the situation is right. Severus decides to take pity on him this once, and offers a small closed smile Potter is quick to respond to.

“Hey!” The chaser being unsure of himself is something he has never experienced before, no matter how many times Lily shot him down, but it seems sixth is shaping up to not make any sense. “I didn’t know if you would come.”

“I didn’t know either.” He says it without thinking, and startles a laugh out of James.

“I just…” There it is again, when did Potter gain bashfulness? “I didn’t want this to stay the way we left off. We all owe you a lot of apologies and definitely an explanation.”

“I doubt Black will ever actually apologise.” Potter is looking to the floor, his curly hair combining with his glasses in a mission to hide his eyes. “And any explanation will surely fall short…”

“His parents wanted him to take the dark mark.” Potter’s interruption is less a shock and more a confirmation. The Blacks alone hold enough rumors to fill the Slytherin common room for three months. “And I know it doesn’t excuse what he did, what could have happened, but.”

Here he stops. He is giving Severus a way out. He’s not obliged to hear a guy defend someone who nearly got him killed not eight months ago. It’s the Pettigrew strategy, he’s not making him do anything. It’s all Severus' choice. He leans into the wall, next to where the door of the fantasy room would be. He nods for James to go on.

“He’d been different the whole year. Nervous. He kept getting howlers and he found ways to never let us know what was being said. By the time Christmas break rolled around we were being awakened by him screaming from nightmares. Then him and Remus finally started dating.” James takes a break from the story to smile. Severus never pegged Black for a coward, but for him to date a werewolf he must be even dumber than he looks. “It was good, they were happy. They’ve always been crazy about each other, but they finally talked about it.”

Severus has no doubt about where the story is going next.

“And then you were getting close to figuring out the truth and he got so scared. In his head if you reported Remus he would lose everything. And I know what he did was wrong. I don’t think he thought it through at all. But every time we talk about it he asks what I would have done if it was Lily, and… I don’t know. I don’t know what I would have done.”

He looks up and Severus notices there are tears tracking down his face. He wants to reach out and swipe them away more than anything, but he’s not a lion. He’s not brave like that.

“He runned away from home this summer.” That explains Regulus being more miserable than ever then. “He’s living with me now. But things aren’t the same. Not just because he’s kind of my brother now, but it’s all weirder. Remus didn’t talk to him for three months after what happened. Lily and I started dating, but she’s sad all the time. I think she thinks hanging out with us is a betrayal to you and that’s why you won’t talk to her anymore.”

“What?” What? “That’s not what's happening. I just thought since she’s with you now she wouldn’t want to hang out with me anymore.”

James has a look on his face Severus is not sure he likes.

“Are you nuts? She’s crazy about you. The way she talks about you…” His hands go to his hair and bashful Potter is back. “Is enough to make someone fall in love with you.”

Severus doesn’t know what to say to that, but for the second time that night he’s saved from making a hard decision by an object of his affections leaving the room of requirement.

Lily gets through the door calling for James, and when she notices who he has been talking to, her entire face lights up.

“Sev!!” Before he can understand what is happening he has an armful of Evans. “I’ve missed you so much. I didn’t know you’d be here. What’s this meathead doing now?”

At the pointed comment Potter Puts both hands up in surrender, and Severus can’t help but laugh at the image they make. A tiny redhead clinging to him while James built figure seems to be scared of being scolded.

“He was just telling me about how much you compliment me all the time.” Lily’s blush was to be expected, as were the playful punches she threw her boyfriend's way.

“Sev, they’re playing the best songs. All muggle music, like we used to listen to the radio.” Her hand is on his forearm and he doesn’t fully understand why instead of the jealousy that used to live in Potter’s face before now he seems… wistful. Uh. He can see how the two can be mistaken.

While Lily drags him into the room of requirement, Severus reaches out and grabs James’ hand. They get to the dance floor and it’s messy, the three of them together. He can see Black and Lupin dancing near them, and it’s not okay yet. He doesn’t think things are going to be the way they were before fifth year. But as he dances with Lily’s hands in his, and James’ on his hips, he starts to believe things could be better.


End file.
